sycophantic
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
The adjective sycophantic is perfect for describing someone who uses flattery to get what they want. The sycophantic guy in your biology class might compliment the professor on her fabulous shoes as he hands in his lab report. Someone who's sycophantic goes overboard with compliments, usually to gain some kind of advantage. You see sycophantic behavior in Hollywood all the time, from red carpet interviews pouring flattery on movie stars to fawning autograph seekers. Sycophantic comes from the Greek word sykophantes, "one who shows the fig," a vulgar gesture of the time. The reference is to hypocritical Greeks behind the scenes who pretended to flatter while encouraging others to "show the fig."
Vocabulary lists containing sycophantic
Grendel
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Scythe
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"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And this is a problem, given that large-language models might, at this point, be best known for being sycophantic flattery machines.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
Sticking to largely sycophantic media who lobbed softball questions hardened his ceiling.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
This concern has led the Electronic Privacy Information Center to draft legislation around chatbot safety for teenagers, a population particularly vulnerable to the sycophantic tendencies of these tools.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
Many experts say design decisions, intended to make chatting more pleasant, result in them being overly sycophantic.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
A constant stream of diners comes to their table to shake Werner’s and Frederick’s hands and ask Frederick’s mother in low sycophantic voices about her husband’s latest advancement.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
